A/N: Check out my tumblr and AO3.
tumblr: essential-non-essentials
AO3: heyitsraichan (I also posted this story there. Check it!)
long ass (full) title: It's so easy to jump into conclusions, but aren't things even easier if you just ask?
Toriel has a boyfriend. At least, Frisk assumed she had one. Not that it's not allowed, Frisk thinks, but Toriel and Asgore are separated, remember? Her mom's been seen with Sans, well…all the time since they first met each other, formally. In the one year that everyone was out on the surface again…in the one year when everyone made a home, a new village at the foot of Mount Ebott, Sans and her Mom would just NOT stop texting each other in the day, and sometimes at night, Toriel would go out to see him. She doesn't know what to think of it. It should be a good thing that their Mom is happy with someone. It should be a good thing that she has that smile on her face whenever he is around. IT SHOULD BE A GOOD THING. It has to be. And yet she feels unhappy. She feels…
She feels bad for being unhappy. Her Mom deserves this new found happiness. Sans deserves happiness, too. Sans may not be the best person, with his laziness and fondness for annoying, practical jokes, but Frisk likes them. Likes him. Extremely. She loves them both, her Mom and Sans. She should be happy for them. She really thinks that this is wrong, what she is feeling right now. This…jealousy. It's out of place. It shouldn't be here…this feeling.
Then one day, it happens. The thing she's always hoped for. The thought that she's always tried to kill before it even formed, but always managed to bring itself back from the dead. Her wish.
I wish that they wouldn't be together all the time.
She noticed that Toriel did not go to one of Sans' gigs at the comedy bar. Frisk asked, "Is Sans coming over instead?", puzzled as to why Toriel was still at home that Saturday night.
Toriel was silent for a bit, thinking of what to reply. She settled on the couch, opposite to where Frisk was watching Netflix, then replied, "No."
"Soooo, you aren't going out tonight to see his gig?"
"No, child…to be honest I do not want to see him at the moment. I would like to spend more time with you."
Frisk looked at her Mom, trying to keep a straight face. Toriel was bothered by something, but she shakes her head and turned her attention to her child. "What are we watching?"
Frisk told her excitedly (Too excitedly, Frisk thinks, so she lowered her voice) about this new series she's found herself watching. It's all about zombies and stuff. Toriel shifts in her seat, unsure if this was a good idea for a show, but because Frisk liked it, she thought she might as well try watching it…to distract her mind from other things. But that night turned out better than they had both expected. They were with family. Nothing is ever wrong with spending time with family. Both Toriel and Frisk were enjoying themselves.
Had they broken up? Who did the breaking-up? Who said the cliche-est of lines, Sans or Toriel? Why? Curiosity was gnawing at Frisk's mind one night. It kept her up, but lulled her to sleep after a few, ten minutes.
Mom didnt go to ur gig last night, a fight happen between u 2? Frisk texted Sans at around 11AM, when she was sure he was awake. The reply came in almost immediately after she sent it. For a lazy guy, Sans was fast to text a reply. nothing u shud worry abt kiddo
mornin
you slept well?
i sure did knot because i was tied to my bed the whole night
figuratively
Lololololol
Well, that was not convincing at all, thought Frisk. The both of them were keeping something from her. Aside from their sex life of course, but Frisk NEVER asked. Toriel at least gave Frisk some answers as to why she was acting so weird when she asked about Sans but they were…too general. Too vague to even make a hypothesis.
"He said something…I did not approve of."
"I'm letting my anger subside child, before talking to him. Do not worry, this conflict will be resolved in no time."
"Sans will see his error."
Frisk decided to surprise Sans that day by coming to his house at lunch. Maybe she could get some answers from him. Papyrus was not there yet, not until his classes are done, at least. He's taking a culinary course, to improve his cooking skills, which Frisk thought was great. Papyrus will no longer be the cause of death of more pots and pans. Undyne should definitely try enrolling into one.
Paps will probably be back in a couple more hours. Frisk assumed that was probably what Sans was thinking, too, as she saw Muffet come out of his house.
Shit shit shit was Sans cheating on my Mom? Is that what this is? So Sans is a lying, cheating bastard? Frisk was really mad but she somehow understood. It would be easy to fool unsuspecting people into falling in love with you if you were smart, if you were clever and witty, if you always manage to make a person laugh…if you had a cute, dimpled smile…charming…adorable…a good liar…a scumbag. She fell for his trap, after all. She was in love with him.
She couldn't take this. She was determined to do something about this gnawing curiosity, chewing, eating her up from the inside. But she kept on telling herself, maybe tomorrow she'll have enough courage to do it, then the next…then the next…then… After days, she decided she'd had enough of this nonsense from herself and she is going to do something about it, now. She's got nothing to be afraid of, if anything, Sans should be the one afraid of her if he did something stupid and unforgivable, the wretched, lying, cheating, handsome, smiley bag of bones! Frisk could not calm her nerves though, and she thought she's already given it enough time to calm down, so she wanted a faster alternative. She told her mom she was going out, to where she did not say.
She went straight to Grillby's, since it's just a block away from the skeleton brothers' house. She could walk from there. She asked Grillby for a glass of wine and some grub. She finished the wine but not the grub. She could still feel her nervousness. No better way to wash it away, make it go away than to take another and another and another glass of wine until she finished the whole bottle and a burger and fries. Grillby was a bit concerned of Frisk's current behavior so he offered to take them home after he's closed up shop. Frisk nodded, oblivious to what she agreed on doing.
When Grillby was finally ready to go and take her home, Frisk was not on the spot he left her and told her to wait. She ran off. And he has an idea as to where.
Friday. It's Friday, again. Sans was…not in a great mood. One of his best friends stopped talking to him, for more than a few weeks now, not sending even a single text. Her kid, Frisk, wasn't talking to him either. His sighs could be heard in the entire house. He's gone wary of the good things that happen to him ever since the resets started. He realized then that everything good could be taken from him at any second, and then he wouldn't remember any of it. As more and more proof piled up in front of him, evidence of timelines getting reset and stopping, his fear grew. All hope lost, he quit his job as a scientist. For the longest time he thought this was the reason he was feeling like something was wrong…something was missing. Maybe it was because his memories were being erased. Maybe because everything happening right now has happened twice, or thrice, or more times than anyone could count. Then Frisk fell underground. He knows how cliche this must sound when spoken out loud, but Frisk completed him, filled the emptiness he felt. He may act as if he was happy in the Underground, with the jokes he told and pranks he played but it was only when Frisk came that he was truly alive. He wanted to keep her by his side. He has to admit, he's done so multiple times now, whenever she fell out of his reach. One instance of this was when she was still on the Underground. Realizing that she was getting so close to her goal of getting to the surface, he got scared that he may never see her again. It was such a relief to him when the barrier broke. It meant he could still reach her. This time however, because of his stupidity, he may never see her again. He wanted too much. He should have been happy with what he had. Now she was going to be ripped away from him too.
He knows the truth about Flowey and Frisk. They were the ones that had the ability to travel through time, the ones resetting the timeline, but this was not the cause of his worry, no, not at all. Frisk promised him‒promised everyone‒that she's never going to reset ever again. It's just that old habits die hard. He reverts back to his incredibly lazy self. He's making Papyrus worry; he knows. The other skeleton brother was checking on him, texting him almost every hour. He never got out of the house since the day Toriel got mad at him (and he at her). Maybe Tori already told Frisk, and they're both disgusted with him and… he stews in his own self-pity. This was his way of coping. He knows it was not healthy. The pain and fear of timelines being reset and everything he's done being useless was better compared to this, he thought. This was the worst pain he's ever felt in his life. There's some comfort in thinking that the pain will one day disappear. There's some comfort in thinking that he won't remember. He chuckles, sadly, thinking he was being overly dramatic, but he couldn't help it. For days now he's thinking that maybe it would be better if he never met Frisk, selfish as this thought may be. Maybe staying in the Underground forever wasn't so bad. Maybe it was better that he never had memories of a certain short-haired brunette‒
There were two slow knocks at the door, then the sound of something sliding down. It was followed by a soft thump. Sans opened it and Frisk fell down, right shoulder first, to the ground, half of her body was inside the house now. what's up with this girl and falling? He can smell her perfume and alcohol mixing in the air. She groaned in pain.
"frisk, what the…? what are you doing here at this hour?!" He knelt down to cradle Frisk in his arms.
"Fuuuuck, I ended up stupid drunk with a spinning headache…Hah. Could headache's even spin when they don't have legs? Now I can't feel my own, Jesus, fuck…" Frisk was laughing, like the drunk person she currently is. "The headache took my legs, ha…ha…" Apparently, Frisk thinks, she has a bit of a low tolerance to alcohol. Sans and her mom drank twice as much and still did not get drunk. Maybe because they were monsters, with their bodies processing alcoholic beverages being different and all…she was not sure nor did she care at the moment. Her thoughts were just rambling random shit.
Sans lifted her by the soul, and put her gently on the couch. He placed his welcome mat under the part of the couch where Frisk's head was dangling, just in case she wanted to hurl. It would be easier to clean up that way. He started asking questions as he took some face towels, two basins, one containing cold water.
"where were you before heading here?"
"...Grillby's."
"your mom know you went to grillby's to get shitfaced?"
"...No…"
"figures you'd go here 'coz this is definitely nearer to grillby's than your house kid."
Frisk was silent. Maybe their mouth was numb because of the alcohol's effects or because she was thinking about something, Sans couldn't be sure if he can't see their face. He decided to ask more questions when he came back to the kid's side.
"who were you with? why are they not with you right now? they just drop you off? some friends you have, huh?"
"Me, myself and I!" she exclaimed, although afterwards, she looked a little green. Her cheeks puffed up and a second later she began hurling on the welcome mat. Sans sighed…he took the mat and replaced it with a basin. He's got the other half full of cold water to cool off Frisk's body. It was better to wait for them to puke after all, before wiping the dirt and sweat off them with a face towel. He removed their hoodie‒the black and red one he gave them for Christmas, which seems to be her current favorite. She was heating up so he put a cold, damp towel on her forehead.
Sans stopped to look at her face for a second. This behavior was definitely odd for Frisk. This was out of impulse, which she rarely does. Must've thought something really must be done (like getting drunk? Sans doesn't think so). She's mostly calm and controlled, and to see her so vulnerable makes him want to hold her in his arms and protect her. This was definitely a new side of her. He was about to touch her cheeks with his fingers when her eyes snapped open and he pulled his hand back, willing a normally chill expression, his eternal smile plastered on his face. "h-hey, kiddo…"
"Fuck you Sans I hate you I'm no longer a child stop calling me that…" She said it so fast that he processed it in his mind so slow. The next thing he knows, Frisk pulled him by the collar of his shirt and kissed him. Well, attempted to kiss him, he doesn't have lips. Hers landed on his teeth, but the gesture still managed to make his Soul skip and hop-scotch inside his rib-cage. Frisk‒Frisk!‒ kissed him. Frisk kissed him first. She put her hand on his jawbone as she pulled away from the kiss. Sans still doesn't want to open his eyes, thinking that if he does the dream would be over, but he did eventually. It's not a dream. Frisk's expression, from bliss turned to wrath and slapped him right in the jaw. His eye sockets widened as much as it can. Frisk abruptly straightened up to sit on the couch and started to slap at Sans.
"ow," he said every time he received a slap from Frisk.
"You lying, cheating bastard! How could you do this to her!? She trusted you and you do this?! The fuck is wrong with you‒" For a moment her face turns green and Sans knows too well what will come next. Sans caught her puke with the basin before she could spill it all over the floor. She took the damp cloth on her forehead and wiped her face with it. She groaned and massaged her temple. "Shiiiiiiiit…"
"what the hell are ya talkin' 'bout kid? and what's up with that…thing ya, uh, did?"
"You know full well what I'm talking about! About the fight, about you cheating on Mom, you and Muffet‒"
"wai-wait, wait…" Sans shook his head in disbelief. "me and muffet, the shit?! kid, seriously, where's this all coming from, huh? ya high on drugs or something? what makes you think‒"
"I-I saw h-her…just a few d-days ago…here, in your house! What were you two doing, huh? Think you could keep your relationship from everyone?" Frisk was about to say more (accuse him of more things he did not think he can do, but apparently Frisk thinks he could), but she stopped her mouth from uttering a word when Sans held up his arms in surrender.
"k-kid…uh, i need you need to stop right there…"
He should come clean, he thinks. She still doesn't know. Toriel never said anything to her, by the looks of it. It should come from him. He should just tell‒
"i'm not dating anyone…not your mom, not muffet, no one… muffet just, uh, delivered some stuff i asked from grillby, 'coz, as always, i was too lazy to get out of the house. paps was there, you can ask him. it pains me to say but i'm un-a-PEEL-ing? geddit? 'coz i have no skin?"
Frisk stared dumbly at him. Now when she thinks about it, Toriel never formally introduced Sans to be her boyfriend…it's just that she assumed they were dating because of exactly those activities mentioned earlier. And they're around each other A LOT. Who wouldn't think they were dating with that?
"forgetaboudit, kid. i think you should rest. what do you say we get some shut eye, hm? i'll drive you home in the morning," he said while ruffling Frisk's hair. His hand lingers a second too long.
"comfy?" he asked when he tucked Frisk in the couch, only her head is not buried under the blanket. Papyrus was coming home late tonight (he will be home probably near early morning, he texted Sans), but, still, moving her to any of their rooms is a risk Sans couldn't take. Frisk was silent, she did not protest and just nodded. "we'll talk in the morning, a'ight?"
He texts Toriel; frisk crashed here for the nyt
thought i'd let u knw
dont worry, not gonna do anythng stupid tor
i'll drive her home in the morning
can we at least talk while we can tho?
i dont want our fight to drag for a long time
she kinda voiced out her thoughts about us not talking
dont want this to affect her
It's probably not a good idea telling Toriel that her daughter came to his house stupid drunk, and kissed him, and accused him of stuff, so he left those little details slide. He leaned on the kitchen counter, his back facing the living room where Frisk was resting. He took a ketchup bottle and takes a swig before heading to his bedroom.
The door creaks open slowly, then closes with a soft thump. The sound of shuffling feet was getting closer. Until it stopped, and something heavy and cool to the touch was now lying at the edge of the bed. Sans turned to his side to face Frisk, with wide eyes and…only in her underwear. Her hair was slightly damp and uncombed.
"h-heya pal…had a nightmare or somethin'?"
Frisk shook her head. No, she did not have a nightmare, he already knew that through her facial expression. He was just hoping he was wrong. She came to him directly from the bath. She wanted something out of Sans, he could tell. And she was determined to get it. Should he be terrified?
Sans hummed. "i couldn't help but notice…why'd ya come in here wearing almost nothin'? don't you feel cold‒"
Before he could continue, she touched his jaw, kissed him, and now he's melting at her every touch. He let her do whatever she wanted; when she tugged at his shirt he took it off, he let her push him on his back and now she's straddling his hips. He let magic pool at his mouth and form a tongue. Frisk opens her mouth to let it in. Both let out a moan to the new and odd sensation. Frisk kept on caressing his rib cage, then his sternum, just near where his Soul was doing somersaults, teasing it…teasing him. Oh god, Sans could still smell a hint of alcohol from Frisk. He didn't mind the taste of alcohol from her at all. This was too good to pass up. Never did he expect Frisk to be the one leading, not even in his wildest, dirtiest imaginations…but there were alarm bells in his brain ringing for him to stop; a part of him was screaming that this has to be wrong. It's wrong that I'm in love with her. It's wrong that I'm letting her do this… It repeats over and over again in his head. And Frisk was not in her right mind, she was drunk, and he's taking advantage of it if he let something happen between them…not exactly what he swore to Toriel when he said he was not going to do anything stupid. With that in mind, he finally pulled away.
"frisk, your mom's gonna kill me. stop…please." He lifted himself up, elbows supporting his weight. Frisk straightened up.
"So, you really are dating mom? Is that why this isn't okay?"
"n…no, ki‒"
"Don't call me 'kid'! I'm not twelve! You may be decades older than me but I'm old enough to decide for myself!"
"i'm not saying that! i'm sorry okay? i just like calling you that…because you're tori's child…and she's a goat mom and goat babies are, uh, kids…? it's kinda like my endearment…thing, dunno how to explain it."
It was a lame joke, but it was typical of Sans, Frisk thought. The silence could stretch indefinitely, but Frisk finally says something to cut it. Sans didn't catch that, so she repeated. "I'm sorry…"
"for what? ya didn't do anythin' bad…"
"I forced myself on you like that…you probably don't feel that way about me. You must've thought of me like your little sister, a best friend, or something, but…not like…this." She gestured to her half-naked self. "You must be disgusted with me right now, I'm sorry."
She only wanted two things: a rejection or an acceptance. If Sans were to give her something vague, or if he was to lie to her, he's afraid that she'll hate him. He'd hate himself too. No other choice then…He should come clean, he thinks. It should come from him. He should just tell her‒
"no, frisk…don't say sorry as if you're the one at fault. if anything it's my fault, okay? your mom and i had a fight because of you…" Sans quickly added when he noticed Frisk's eyes widen in shock. "not because of you, doing somethin' but because…" He could feel sweat dropping from his temple to his cheekbones. out with it, sans! He scolded himself when he felt his own hesitation. "i asked permission if i could take you out on a date…"
Frisk was so silent and was just staring at him that he started to ramble. "yeah, stupid thing, i know, should've asked you first, but i thought it was the right thing to do, i never thought tori could get that mad… but she must've thought that she didn't want me to hurt you…or to 'taint' you, i swear though, although i hate oaths and promises, i swear my intentions with you are clean…tori must've also thought it was wrong…that i'm…" he hesitated to say it, he quelled his fear quickly. "in love with you… so she reacted like that and it hurt me too so i asked grillbz to just deliver some food 'coz i got too down to even get out of the house…he has muffet working with him now, they're like partners now or something…that's what you saw i think."
Still nothing.
"frisk, buddy, are you okay?"
She nodded. He sighed. "good 'coz i think i'm dying back here…could you just say something? please?"
"I love you," she said quietly.
"huh?"
"I-I, uh, like you so much…I…can we try this? See if this will work out? I really, really…" She sighed and tried to speak as slowly as she can in order to avoid stuttering. The lump in her throat was making it difficult to breathe and say anything. She swallowed it down. "I wanted to spite myself, burn myself…for being jealous of you and mom for a long time because I thought you were dating and…now that I know it's possible I want to jump at the opportunity, if that's okay with you…? I've lost so much opportunities, I just realized…"
"you and me, both, kid." They laughed. At their stupidity, at their wrong conclusions, at the times they assumed…it was so easy to jump into conclusions, but wouldn't things be even easier if they just asked?
He touched her face with both hands, still not quite believing that this was happening. He just had to have some kind of confirmation. He expected not to feel Frisk's skin under his phalanges and he was glad he was wrong, that this was not one of those lucid dreams he's been having forever, where he thought it was really happening but once he as much as even attempts to touch something it disappears. This was real. Frisk did not disappear and leaned in to his touch. She held both of his wrists, gently drawing circles at the back of his bony hand with her thumb. This time, it was Sans who tried to kiss her, not having lips was frustrating at a time like this, but Frisk did not mind. It was short, and tender, just to make the other physically feel how much they cared.
"let's just take it slow, okay? this is all new to me, maybe not to you… 'coz you immediately crawled into bed on our first night together, and i haven't even asked you out on a date yet!"
Frisk chuckled. Their faces still close enough that their foreheads were touching.
"it kinda escalated quickly, huh? aaaaaand we gotta tell tori too."
She nodded.
"and i really think you should put some clothes on," he said.
"Oh, right," she said, looking down. It escaped her for a while that she was still in her underwear.
"it's too early in the relationship to get frisky, frisk."
She laughed as she placed a kiss on Sans' cheek and got out of bed. Ah, Sans loved that laugh so much…
Papyrus was taking a turn to their block when he noticed Grillby nearby. He parked the car on the driveway. It was rude to talk to someone on the street while you're driving after all, Papyrus thought, so he chose to park the car first, then greet Grillby.
"GOOD EVENING TO YOU, GRILLBY. WHAT BRINGS YOU TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD? DID SANS ASK YOU TO DELIVER FOOD TO HIM AGAIN? I SWEAR, HE'S GETTING LAZIER AND LAZIER EVER SINCE THIS FIGHT BETWEEN HIM AND QUEEN TORIEL BEGAN…MAYBE WE SHOULD INTERVENE AND COOK FOR THEM SOME SPAGHETTI! THAT ALWAYS WORKS!"
Grillby said, "No need, I think Frisk is going to tell Sans some stuff…"
"FRISK THE HUMAN? WHAT MAKES YOU SAY THAT?"
"Well, she came to my establishment, got a little drunk and headed in this direction when I was closing up shop."
"OH DEAR, I THINK WE SHOULD CHECK IF SHE'S IN HERE. WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME IN FOR A WHILE?"
"Sure, Papyrus. Thank you."
As they entered the house, Papyrus offered, "WOULD YOU LIKE SOME TEA, OR COFFEE?" He was going to tell Grillby about how he dislikes coffee and prefers hot chocolate, but he drinks coffee out of necessity and all that when he noticed that Grillby was looking over Papyrus' shoulder, his eyes wide. Papyrus turned around to see what was so shocking and was greeted by a half-naked Frisk on the stairs, about to head to the bathroom.
"FRISK! HUMAN! WHY ARE YOU SO SCANTILY DRESSED? I CAN SEE SANS DID NOT CARE FOR YOU WELL. GRILLBY TELLS ME YOU HAD TOO MUCH ALCOHOL? I SHOULD GRAB YOU SOME CLOTHES AT ONCE!"
Papyrus was too innocent to not think that something happened between her and his brother, but Grillby was not as innocent. He raised a brow at Frisk, and she immediately understood. It was beyond her how she could tell his facial expressions despite him being just flame with eyes and clothes, but, she thinks, it was a good thing. At least she'll know how Grillby was feeling and avoid upsetting him. She shook her head, Grillby nodded once. She ran to the bathroom. Sans got out of his room, being carried around by Papyrus who was scolding his brother, telling him that Frisk needs immediate care and attention because of the state she is in and this was not the time to sulk. Grillby thinks Sans can take good care of Frisk, that he was not as lazy as he used to be in the Underground, but he did not say anything. Sans did not protest against his brother, so why should he? Papyrus knocked at the bathroom door and gave Frisk some fresh clothes while Sans cleaned up the house. Meanwhile he, Grillby, sat on the sofa (without it bursting into flames), drinking some tea Papyrus got for him. His skills in the kitchen was improving, maybe Grillby should hire him? But Papyrus hates grease, which was too bad. Fast food had to have grease. It was why fast food was fast food. Sans sat beside him after he was done putting away the blankets. Grillby stopped his musings and looked at him questioningly.
"i texted tori i wouldn't do anythin' stupid. i kept my word."
Grillby was still looking at Sans.
"she thought i was cheating on her mom, that's why she was so upset."
Still, Grillby did not leave his eyes on Sans' face.
"okay, fine, i did tell her already, okay? she knows now."
"Good."
"ya know grillbz, for a flame monster, you sure know how to send a chill down my spine."
Grillby snickered.
In the background, Papyrus was telling Frisk to wear the clothes he gave her, and not the ones she's already taken off. It seems Frisk was hesitant to wear them. They were Sans' clothes. "HE'S THE ONE WHO PICKED IT, HE WON'T GET MAD."
Grillby wanted to mess with Sans for a bit. They're old friends so, what's the harm? Besides, Sans needs a taste of his own medicine. "I hope this gives you happiness," he said as he took Sans' hand and placed something on his palm.
It was a condom.
Upon seeing the thing handed to him, Sans immediately stuffed it, forcefully, on his wallet. The wallet was thrown to the ground as well. Grillby was beginning to laugh at his blushing face. Ah, no better revenge than to tease a virgin friend.
"Probably not a good idea to put it in your wallet, Sans. Toriel might see it and think that you're planning to do something to Frisk."
Sans blushed deeper, as much as a skeleton without blood could, despite him trying to keep calm.
"grillbz, what the hell, you very well know i-i don't…need that…i…i…don't have a...uh, should probably give it back to you. grillbz, can you please stop laughing? this is embarrassing," seeing that there was nothing he could say to stop Grillby from laughing at him, he just covered his blushing face.
Paps and Frisk wondered what was so funny.
Grillby went home. The house became quiet. Papyrus decided to sleep. "I'M GOING TO BED NOW. THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL SEE YOU TWO IN THE MORNING."
Frisk did not feel as sick as she did earlier, so she insisted that she sleep on Sans' bedroom, swearing to a god that she is NOT going to puke all over. Sans told her to wait for a second, he's just going to tidy it up a bit. He entered and saw Papyrus sitting on his bed.
"Hello, brother," he said, voice quieter than usual. Probably so that Frisk wouldn't be able to hear.
Now, Grillby thought wrong. Papyrus was…he could read the situation better than everyone expected of him. Sans knew a 'talk' was coming sooner or later.
"hey, bro. what's up?"
"Are you feeling better?"
"...yeah. frisk did some surprising things, but we talked it out."
Silence. Sans rubbed awkwardly at his radius.
"i-i swear we just talked‒"
Papyrus raised a hand to stop his brother from rambling. He rambles (Sans calls them word vomiting, a term which he was not comfortable with) when he's under some imaginary pressure. He knew his brother. He knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't do such a thing. He was not going to ask about that. As if sensing that he was thinking this, Sans sighed, relieved.
"Will you not worry me like that again, brother? I really thought you were going to go back to being your…other self…" It was Papyrus' turn to rub awkwardly at his radius. He stood up.
"i'm sorry about that, pap."
"I just wanted to share my thoughts, actually. I really wish this lasts. Being happy suits you, you know?"
"heh, i'll keep that in mind."
The brothers hugged each other. Sans was lifted up in the air, but he doesn't mind. This was a normal, skele-bros hug. Papyrus was happy that Sans was not keeping secrets from him anymore. He feels included in his life again. He hasn't let go of his brother yet.
"Are you going to talk to Queen Mom again?"
"yep, tomorrow…" Sans remembered that it was past midnight now and corrected himself. "i mean, later."
"Good. I really don't like you sulking."
Sans nodded. "me neither, surprisingly."
Papyrus sighed and put his brother down. "Can you shortcut me to my room?"
"of course."
It was 1:30AM on Sans' digital clock. Frisk couldn't sleep, neither could he. He was sleeping on a cot, while Frisk slept on his bed. Frisk felt like the room was a little cooler than normal. It was a comfortable kind of coldness, but, still… It's probably because Sans' shirt and shorts were loose around her body. She had to tie the ribbon on the waistband that would make the shorts a little tighter and not fall off on their own.
"still awake?"
"...Yeah, can't sleep."
Really, Sans has been encountering so much awkward silences in the past few hours he was with Frisk. She always breaks the silence.
"Can you…sleep beside me?"
Sans obliged. He folded up and made the cot disappear with his magic and laid down beside her, hands laced around each others. They fell asleep like that.
At the break of dawn, Toriel was up and ready to go to the brothers' house to pick up Frisk. She doesn't want her child to be there for longer than necessary. She wanted to make sure Frisk goes straight home. She wanted to go pick her up the moment she finished reading Sans' texts last night. Asgore stopped her though, saying that Frisk may be her daughter, but she was no longer a child. Frisk can make her own decisions, can act out on what she thinks is right or wrong.
"More importantly," he added, "she can take care of herself. Besides, Sans is a trust-worthy person, dear. He did what he promised to you; he tried to protect Frisk back then, even when everyone else was trying to take her Soul, when we were not there for her. I am sure he will stick to his word again this time."
She was just waiting for him to finish getting dressed. He insisted that he should come with. She looked at the clock, a little bit impatient. A few minutes 'til 6AM. The skeleton household is likely to be still asleep at this hour. Was this too early? Maybe she should wait a little longer, make breakfast for herself and Asgore, perhaps? No, she must get Frisk as soon as possible. Asgore got out of their room already dressed and suggested they buy some ingredients at a nearby 24-hour convenient store, since that was the only building open at this hour that sells food. He said that it would be nice to have breakfast with the skeleton brothers sometimes. He was fond of them. They are nice monsters. Toriel voiced out that she'll end up as the one to do all the cooking, but Asgore assured her that he'll help.
"Frisk would like it, too," he thought aloud.
He texted Sans that they were heading there now, just to give him a heads-up.
Sans was not in bed anymore, that's a first, waking up earlier than her… Frisk woke up to the smell of butter and something cooking. The smell of burning toast and marshmallows…fire magic…could it be…? She almost sprinted downstairs. She could hear a conversation getting louder in the kitchen so she headed there. She saw four people in there, Asgore, Sans, Papyrus and her mother. Asgore and Papyrus were clearly taking the backseat during this conversation; it was mostly Toriel's and Sans' voices she could hear.
"you sounded like a hypocrite when ya told me…all the talk of letting go of the past…they were all just bull from the very beginning? i thought you were better than that, tori!"
Toriel's every slice made a sound against the cutting board. "And what about you, you bag of bones?! 'There is nobody I like,' you liar! And it was my Frisk, too. MY little precious Frisk!‒"
"she's no longer a child," said Sans, but she ignored it.
"And here we thought you were beyond your days of lying to us!"
"hey, when i realized i fell in love with her i told you immediately!"
"She's too young to date, anyway!"
"she can decide for herself, tori! from the very beginning, before you even adopted her, she's already made decisions without your help‒without any of our help!"
Toriel was shocked to silence. Sans was also shocked by what he had said, apparently.
It was an odd sight to behold; Asgore in front of the stove, his face all red, Toriel cutting some vegetables like they were all onions, Sans and Papyrus sitting down on a tall stool, hands on the counter and faces apologetic like little children scolded by an adult. They probably thought it best they stayed that way because her mom was holding a knife, not that Tori would use it on anyone (she had fire magic, she could burn someone alive if she wished, she doesn't need a knife), she just looked menacing holding one when mad. Frisk would know firsthand. She's a little bit of a prankster, and her mother would scold her before dinner if she did some horsing around, so… Wait, why was Asgore here? And with her mom?
"I was just…I was thinking that you would take my child away from me, that is all. I was afraid that all her affection might be poured on to you, because I know how she feels about you.
"The way she talks about you a lot…you should have seen her face while talking about you. There is a kind of sparkle in her eyes. She always enjoys being with you and your brother that I get jealous sometimes. She does not have the same joyful expression when I am with her. I…I am sorry about my reaction, Sans. It was nice of you for being honest with me."
"yeah, it's okay tor…didn't say the nicest of things to ya either. sorry 'bout that. you can do whatever makes ya happy. it's just that you were so adamant on saying that you were over everything that happened between you and king fluffybuns here before. it hurts to be kept in the dark by your friends, tor…i know the feeling now."
Sans glanced at the entrance to the kitchen and saw Frisk standing there. He hummed, smiling at her. Well, he's always smiling, nothing different there, but he glowed with happiness upon seeing her.
And now everyone in the room noticed her. Took them long enough.
"heya, frisk, had a good night's sleep? your mom's here to get you, asgore's here, too."
"GOOD MORNING FRISK THE HUMAN!" Papyrus waved at her, his other hand holding a mug of something.
Asgore also waved at her. "Howdy, dear."
"so how much of the convo did ya hear?"
"Not much, just enough to know you're all upset though."
Toriel stopped everything she's doing and headed to where Frisk was standing. She gave Frisk a big bear-hug. She couldn't help but return her mother's embrace. Toriel started apologizing, she did not know their misunderstanding was affecting her, she should've been more mindful‒
"No, Mom, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have run off like that. I should've told you…both of you of what I was feeling." She looked at Sans, too.
Everyone took a collective sigh. Now that was over and done with.
"Now that everyone has had a go with speaking up and letting out their thoughts, I suggest you sit down, Frisk, because breakfast will be served in a few minutes," said Asgore as he set a plate of omelette on the counter-top.
"W-why are you here again, Asgore? Not that you are not welcome here, Your Highness, but…"
Toriel's cheeks turned a deep shade of red. Asgore held her hand. He was also blushing.
"Mom, what is happening?"
It was Asgore who spoke. "We have decided that…it would be nice if we were to get back together, start things over. And maybe…get married again…?"
Although her arms outstretched could not manage to hug them both, she still tried to. Finally, she's going to have a dad. She's never too old to have a new dad, she thinks, anyone is never too old to discover their true family. She hopes upon all hope that this one wouldn't leave them behind.
Toriel was okay with the fact that her daughter was dating her best friend. Heh, it sounded weird when put that way, she thought. She consented to them having a relationship, but she had a few conditions. Firstly, it should not interfere with Frisk's studies. Second, she should know where they have gone every time that they were out on a date. Lastly, Sans must never hurt Frisk, or make her cry, or give her a bad time. Sans was sure he could never do any of those, and he'd want to avoid doing those unintentionally. Not only because he loved Frisk, but also Toriel is scary when mad. Asgore might want his skull on a platter as well. Frisk playfully elbowed his ribs when he told her that, but joking aside, he valued the friendship of both boss monsters. Sans and Frisk both agreed with the conditions. Tori was just concerned for her kid, Sans understood. He'd set up some rules too if Papyrus ever dated someone. They were very reasonable requests, anyway. It was easy to just text or call Tori and Asgore. He could help the kid with her studies. He could be a decent tutor… He knows some things… Not to brag but he studied physics and quantum physics for years. He's sure they could work it out.
Sans noticed the way Toriel was acting after stating her conditions, blushing, opening and closing her mouth. She hilariously looked like a goat-fish at the moment, but Sans suppressed his laughter because he knew she still had something on her mind. She still had something to say.
Their friends were at the back, it was grill day, wherein they gather in Tori's house and share the food cooked by Grillby and Muffet, some booze, and a good time. Frisk excused herself from the two of them to go and talk to Monster Kid. When Frisk was finally out of ear shot she sighed and finally spoke. "Take good care of her, will you not?"
Sans nodded and replied, "always have, always will."